Flexible display substrate and method of manufacturing the same, display panel and display apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a flexible display substrate and a method of manufacturing the same, a display panel and a display apparatus. The flexible display substrate has a display region and a non-display region. In some embodiments, the flexible display substrate comprises: a base substrate and an inorganic film layer provided on the base substrate, wherein the inorganic film layer of the non-display region is provided with a groove; and a filling structure for filling the groove.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority rights of the Chinese PatentApplication No. 201710422343.0 filed on Jun. 6, 2017, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a flexible display substrate and amethod of manufacturing the same, a display panel and a displayapparatus.

BACKGROUND

During the manufacture of an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (brieflyreferred to as OLED), an inorganic film layer is generally provided on asubstrate in order to realize flatness of the substrate. However, theinorganic film layer has a low elasticity and a large internal stress,and cracks are easily formed therein under the action of an internalforce or an external force.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a flexible display substrate having adisplay region and a non-display region. The flexible display substratecomprises a base substrate and an inorganic film layer provided on thebase substrate, wherein the inorganic film layer of the non-displayregion is provided with a groove; and a filling structure for fillingthe groove.

In some embodiments, the groove comprises a plurality of grooves, and aspace exist between the plurality of grooves.

In some embodiments, the space between the grooves is 3 to 20 μm.

In some embodiments, the groove is a rectangle or a trapezoid.

In some embodiments, the groove is the rectangle, and the groove has awidth of 3 to 20 μm.

In some embodiments, the groove is the trapezoid, and the groove has along side of 5 to 20 μm and a short side of 3 to 10 μm.

In some embodiments, the groove is provided in a region within 300 μmfrom an edge of the base substrate.

In some embodiments, the filling structure comprises a filler and abump. The filler is provided within the groove, and the bump is providedabove the groove. The filler and the bump are integrally formed.

In some embodiments, a distance between an edge of the bump and an edgeof the groove closest to the edge of the bump is 20 to 100 μm, and thebump has a height of less than or equal to 30 μm.

In some embodiments, a depth of the groove is equal to a thickness ofthe inorganic film layer.

In some embodiments, the groove has a depth of 0.5 to 10 μm.

In some embodiments, the filling structure has a material of an organicmaterial.

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer comprises a plurality ofinorganic film layers.

In addition, the present disclosure further provides a display panelcomprising the flexible display substrate.

In addition, the present disclosure further provides a display apparatuscomprising the display panel.

In addition, the present disclosure further provides a method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate, the flexible displaysubstrate having a display region and a non-display region, the methodcomprising: providing a base substrate; forming an inorganic film layeron the base substrate; providing a groove in the inorganic film layer ofthe non-display region; and filling the groove to form a fillingstructure.

In some embodiments, after forming the filling structure, the methodfurther comprises attaching a protective film onto the inorganic filmlayer of the non-display region; and removing the protective film afterthe use of the protective film is completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of thetechnical solutions of the present disclosure, and constitute a part ofthe specification, which, together with the embodiments of the presentapplication, are used to explain the technical solutions of the presentdisclosure, and do not constitute a limitation of the technicalsolutions of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible displaysubstrate as provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is another structural schematic diagram of the flexible displaysubstrate as provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the method of manufacturing the flexibledisplay substrate as provided by the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4(a) is a structural schematic diagram of the method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate as provided by theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4(b) is a structural schematic diagram of the method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate as provided by theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4(c) is a structural schematic diagram of the method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate as provided by theembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To make objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the presentdisclosure clearer, the embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict, the features in theembodiments and the embodiments in the present application may bearbitrarily combined with each other.

The steps illustrated in the flow chart of the figures may be executedin a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions.Also, although logical sequences are shown in the flow chart, the stepsas shown or described may be performed in a different order than theones described herein in some cases.

In a conventional process of manufacturing the OLED, after a thin filmpackage of the OLED structure is completed, it is necessary to cut theOLED into individual display component units. During the cutting orhandling, cracks will be formed in the inorganic film layer under theaction of an external force and the formed cracks are further caused todiffuse to the inside of the OLED, thereby to affect a quality of theOLED. To solve this technical problem, conventional techniques willgenerally provide a bump or a groove in the inorganic film layer of thenon-display region to prevent the quality of the OLED from beingaffected by the cracks formed in the inorganic film layer.

In the process of manufacturing the OLED, after the display componentsunits are formed, it is further necessary to attach functional filmlayers to the OLED. Prior to the attachment, it is necessary to attach aprotective film to a surface of the display component, and theprotective film is in direct contact with the OLED. Since variousmaterial layers of the OLED are bonded to each other only by the Van derWaals force, the bonding force is very weak and thus badness is easilyformed when the protective film is removed. The protective film isrequired to necessarily have a low viscosity, so as to reduce a risk ofdelamination of the OLED material which is caused when the protectivefilm is removed. However, providing the bump or the groove in thenon-display region will cause, during the attachment of the protectivefilm, a surface area of attachment to be increased and the bondingstrength to be greater than an expected value, which causes an increasein the force to be applied when the protective film is removed, andincreases a risk of delamination which is caused when the protectivefilm is removed.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a flexible displaysubstrate and a method of manufacturing the same, a display panel and adisplay apparatus. The flexible display substrate has a display regionand a non-display region. In some embodiments, the flexible displaysubstrate comprises: a base substrate and an inorganic film layerprovided on the base substrate, wherein the inorganic film layer of thenon-display region is provided with a groove; and a filling structurefor filling the groove. By providing the groove in the inorganic filmlayer of the non-display region, one aspect of the present disclosureguarantees the flexible display substrate to have a function ofpreventing the cracks and reduces an effect of the cracks of theinorganic film layer on the OLED. By filling the groove with the fillingstructure, another aspect of the present disclosure causes a surface ofthe region corresponding to the groove to become flat so as to reduce acontact area between the surface and the protective film, reduce asurface area of attachment, reduce a bonding strength of the protectivefilm, reduce or even eliminate the risk of delamination which is causedwhen the protective film is removed.

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible displaysubstrate as provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 1, the flexible display substrate as provided by theembodiment of the present disclosure has a display region 11 and anon-display region 12. In some embodiments, the flexible displaysubstrate comprises: a base substrate 10 and an inorganic film layer 20provided on the base substrate 10, wherein the inorganic film layer 20of the non-display region 12 is provided with a groove 30. The flexibledisplay substrate further comprises a filling structure for filling thegroove 30.

In some embodiments, the base substrate 10 may be a glass substrate or aplastic substrate, to which no limit is made by the embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, prior to the formation of theinorganic film layer 20, a pre-washing operation may be performed to thebase substrate. It should be noted that, the display region 11 is usedfor providing a light-emitting structure thereon to display an image,and the non-display region 12 is used for providing a peripheral circuitof the display region 11.

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer 20 comprises a pluralityof inorganic film layers. FIG. 1 takes two layers as an example forexplanations. The present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer has a material of aninorganic nanomaterial. The inorganic nanomaterial is dispersed withinan ethylene unsaturated monomer. In some embodiments, the dispersion ofthe inorganic nanomaterial within the ethylene unsaturated monomer maycertainly cause the inorganic nanomaterial to be uniformly dispersedinto the ethylene unsaturated monomer. The dispersion of the inorganicnanomaterial within the ethylene unsaturated monomer is for the purposeof causing the inorganic nanomaterial and the ethylene unsaturatedmonomer to realize a mutual dissolution of organic and inorganicmaterials. By curing the inorganic nanomaterial along with the ethyleneunsaturated monomer via ultraviolet light, an excellent bond of theinorganic material and the organic material may be obtained.

In addition, an inorganic film layer may be added with a photo initiatorand/or wetting leveling agent. The wetting leveling agent may beintroduced to adjust a surface tension of a liquid mixture, so as tomake flatness of the film layer better when it is formed.

In some embodiments, the inorganic nanomaterial comprises a combinationof one or more of AlO, ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO. That is, a material ofthe inorganic film layer 20 may be selected from one or several of AlO,ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a cross section of thegroove 30 in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the basesubstrate 10 is a rectangle. A depth of the groove 30 is equal to athickness of the organic film layer 20. In some embodiments, the groove30 has the depth of 0.5 to 10 μm and a width of 3 to 20 μm. It should benoted that, if the base substrate comprises a substrate with a singlelayer, the depth of the groove should guarantee an etch through thatorganic film layer in contact with the base substrate. If the basesubstrate comprises a substrate with a plurality of layers, betweenwhich inorganic layers are provided to form an overlapped structure,then the depth of the groove should guarantee an etch through theinorganic film layer in contact with the top of the uppermost layer ofthe substrate.

In some embodiments, the groove comprises a plurality of grooves, andspaces exist between the plurality of grooves. A space distance betweenthe grooves is 3 to 20 μm. The space distances between different groovesmay be identical or different. The present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

In some embodiments, the number of the grooves 30 is, e.g., 2 to 10. Adifferent number of the grooves may be selected according to differentrequirements of design. It should be noted that, FIG. 1 takes twogrooves as an example for explanations. The present disclosure is notlimited thereto. A specific number is determined according toimplementation situations. In addition, each of the grooves as comprisedin the flexible display substrate has an identical depth and may have adifferent width.

In some embodiments, the groove 30 is provided in a region within 300 μmfrom an edge of the base substrate. A distance d is a distance from theedge of the base substrate, and d=300 μm in the present embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 1, both grooves are provided in a region within d.

In the present embodiment, the filling structure has a material of anorganic material, for example, an acrylic material. In the presentembodiment, the organic material of the filling structure can beexcellently bonded to the inorganic material of the inorganic filmlayer. In addition, the organic material and the inorganic material aredifferent in terms of properties such as an elastic modulus or the like,and the occurrence of a mutational deformation of one material is notallowed at a contact interface of two materials. The formation of thecracks is further avoided.

In some embodiments, the filling structure comprises a filler 41 and abump 42. The filler 41 is provided within the groove, and the bump 42 isprovided above the groove. The filler 41 and the bump 42 are integrallyformed.

In some embodiments, the bump 42 has a height h less than or equal to 30μm. A distance w between an edge of the bump and an edge of the grooveclosest to the edge of the bump is 20 to 100 μm.

In the present embodiment, the bump covers all the groovessimultaneously, as well as a region outside the grooves. A shape of thebump may be an arbitrary shape. The present disclosure is not limitedthereto. FIG. 1 takes a trapezoid as an example for explanations. Inaddition, the height of the bump is referred to a distance between ahighest point and a bottom surface of the bump.

In the present embodiment, the filling structure fills the groove, whichcauses a surface of the region corresponding to the groove to becomeflat so as to reduce a contact area between the surface and theprotective film, reduce a bonding force of the protective film, andreduce the risk of delamination which is caused when the protective filmis removed. In addition, a low height of the filling structure outsidethe groove may further reduce a contact area between the surface of theregion corresponding to the groove and the protective film.

The flexible display substrate as provided by the embodiment of thepresent disclosure has a display region and a non-display region. Insome embodiments, the flexible display substrate comprises: a basesubstrate and an inorganic film layer provided on the base substrate,wherein the inorganic film layer of the non-display region is providedwith a groove; and a filling structure for filling the groove. Byproviding the groove in the inorganic film layer of the non-displayregion, one aspect of the present disclosure guarantees the flexibledisplay substrate to have a function of preventing the cracks andreduces an effect of the cracks of the inorganic film layer on the OLED.By filling the groove with the filling structure, another aspect of thepresent disclosure causes a surface of the region corresponding to thegroove to become flat so as to reduce a contact area between the surfaceand the protective film, reduce a surface area of attachment, reduce abonding strength of the protective film, reduce or even eliminate therisk of delamination which is caused when the protective film isremoved.

FIG. 2 is another structural schematic diagram of the flexible displaysubstrate as provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 2, the flexible display substrate as provided by theembodiment of the present disclosure has a display region 11 and anon-display region 12. In some embodiments, the flexible displaysubstrate comprises: a base substrate 10 and an inorganic film layer 20provided on the base substrate 10, wherein the inorganic film layer 20of the non-display region 12 is provided with a groove 30. The flexibledisplay substrate further comprises a filling structure for filling thegroove 30.

In some embodiments, the base substrate 10 may be a glass substrate or aplastic substrate, to which no limit is made by the embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, prior to the formation of theinorganic film layer, a pre-washing operation may be performed to thebase substrate 10. It should be noted that, the display region 11 isused for providing a light-emitting structure thereon to display animage, and the non-display region 12 is used for providing a peripheralcircuit of the display region 11.

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer 20 comprises a pluralityof inorganic film layers. FIG. 2 takes two layers as an example forexplanations. The present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer has a material of aninorganic nanomaterial. The inorganic nanomaterial is dispersed withinan ethylene unsaturated monomer. Specifically, the dispersion of theinorganic nanomaterial within the ethylene unsaturated monomer maycertainly cause the inorganic nanomaterial to be uniformly dispersedinto the ethylene unsaturated monomer. The dispersion of the inorganicnanomaterial within the ethylene unsaturated monomer is for the purposeof causing the inorganic nanomaterial and the ethylene unsaturatedmonomer to realize a mutual dissolution of organic and inorganicmaterials. By curing the inorganic nanomaterial along with the ethyleneunsaturated monomer via ultraviolet light, an excellent bond of theinorganic material and the organic material may be obtained.

In addition, the inorganic film layer may be added with a photoinitiator and/or wetting leveling agent. The wetting leveling agent maybe introduced to adjust a surface tension of a liquid mixture, so as tomake flatness of the film layer better when it is formed.

In some embodiments, the inorganic nanomaterial comprises a combinationof one or more of AlO, ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO. That is, a material ofthe inorganic film layer 20 may be selected from one or several of AlO,ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a cross section of thegroove 30 is a trapezoid in a direction perpendicular to a surface ofthe base substrate 10. A depth of the groove 30 is equal to a thicknessof the organic film layer 20. The groove 30 has a depth of 0.5 to 10 Thegroove has a long side of 5 to 20 μm and a short side of 3 to 10 μm. Itshould be noted that, if the base substrate comprises a substrate with asingle layer, the depth of the groove should guarantee an etch throughthat inorganic film layer in contact with the substrate. If the basesubstrate comprises a substrate with a plurality of layers, betweenwhich inorganic layers are provided to form an overlapped structure,then the depth of the groove should guarantee an etch through theinorganic film layer in contact with the top of the uppermost layer ofthe substrate.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the cross section of thegroove in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the base substrate10 is set as a trapezoid. In one aspect, the trapezoidal groove isfilled with the aid of mobility of the organic material of the fillingstructure before being cured, and the cured organic material is embeddedinto the groove, which can enhance a bonding effect between the fillingstructure and the groove so as to prevent the filling structure fromfalling off during the handling. In another aspect, it is possible tofurther obstruct an inward extension of the cracks of the inorganic filmlayer.

In some embodiments, the groove comprises a plurality of grooves, andspaces exist between the plurality of grooves. A space distance betweenthe grooves is 3 to 20 μm. The space distances between different groovesmay be identical or different. The present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

In some embodiments, the number of the grooves 30 is, e.g., 2 to 10. Adifferent number of the grooves may be selected according to differentrequirements of design. It should be noted that, FIG. 2 takes twogrooves as an example for explanations. The present disclosure is notlimited thereto. A specific number is determined according toimplementation situations. In addition, each of the grooves as comprisedin the flexible display substrate has an identical depth and may have adifferent width.

In some embodiments, the groove 30 is provided in a region within 300 μmfrom an edge of the base substrate. A distance d is a distance from theedge of the base substrate, and d=300 μm in the present embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 1, both grooves are provided in a region within d. Thegroove in the present embodiment is a trapezoid, and the groove 30 isprovided in a region within 300 μm from the edge of the base substrate.Here, “within” is specifically referred to that a projection of thegroove on the base substrate is in a region within 300 μm from the edgeof the base substrate, that is, both the long side and the short side ofthe groove are in the region within 300 μm from the edge of the basesubstrate.

In the present embodiment, the filling structure has a material of anorganic material, for example, an acrylic material. In the presentembodiment, the organic material of the filling structure can beexcellently bonded to the inorganic material of the inorganic filmlayer. In addition, the organic material and the inorganic material aredifferent in terms of properties such as an elastic modulus or the like,and the occurrence of a mutational deformation of one material is notallowed at a contact interface of two materials. The formation of thecracks is further avoided.

In some embodiments, the filling structure comprises a filler 41 and abump 42. The filler 41 is provided within the groove, and the bump 42 isprovided above the groove. The filler 41 and the bump 42 are integrallyformed.

In some embodiments, the bump 42 has a height h less than or equal to 30μm. A distance w between an edge of the bump and an edge of the grooveclosest to the edge of the bump is 20 to 100 μm.

In the present embodiment, the bump covers all the groovessimultaneously, as well as a region outside the grooves. A shape of thebump may be an arbitrary shape. The present disclosure is not limitedthereto. FIG. 1 takes a trapezoid as an example for explanations. Inaddition, a height of the bump is referred to a distance between ahighest point and a bottom surface of the bump. In the presentembodiment, the groove is a trapezoid, and thus the edge of the grooveis referred to an edge of the short side of the groove.

In the present embodiment, the filling structure fills the groove, whichcauses a surface of the region corresponding to the groove to becomeflat so as to reduce a contact area between the surface and theprotective film, reduce a bonding force of the protective film, andreduce a risk of delamination which is caused when the protective filmis removed. In addition, a low height of the filling structure outsidethe groove may further reduce a contact area between the surface of theregion corresponding to the groove and the protective film.

The flexible display substrate as provided by the embodiment of thepresent disclosure has a display region and a non-display region. Insome embodiments, the flexible display substrate comprises: a basesubstrate and an inorganic film layer provided on the base substrate,wherein the inorganic film layer of the non-display region is providedwith a groove; and a filling structure for filling the groove. Byproviding the groove in the inorganic film layer of the non-displayregion, one aspect of the present disclosure guarantees the flexibledisplay substrate to have a function of preventing the cracks andreduces an effect of the cracks of the inorganic film layer on the OLED.By filling the groove with the filling structure, another aspect of thepresent disclosure causes a surface of the region corresponding to thegroove to become flat so as to reduce a contact area between the surfaceand the protective film, reduce a surface area of the attachment, reducea bonding strength of the protective film, reduce or even eliminate arisk of delamination which is caused when the protective film isremoved.

Based on the disclosed concept of the aforementioned embodiments, theembodiment of the present disclosure further provides a method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate. FIG. 3 is a flow chart ofthe method of manufacturing the flexible display substrate as providedby the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, themethod may comprise the following steps.

Step 101: providing a base substrate 10.

In particular, the flexible display substrate has a display region 11and a non-display region 12.

The base substrate 10 may be a glass substrate or a plastic substrate,to which no limit is made by the embodiment of the present disclosure.In some embodiments, prior to the formation of the inorganic film layer,a pre-washing operation may be performed to the base substrate. Itshould be noted that, the display region 11 is used for providing alight-emitting structure thereon to display an image, and thenon-display region 12 is used for providing a peripheral circuit of thedisplay region 11.

Step 102: forming an inorganic film layer 20 on the base substrate 10,e.g., as shown in FIG. 4(a).

In some embodiments, the inorganic film layer 20 comprises a pluralityof inorganic film layers. The inorganic film layer has a material of aninorganic nanomaterial. The inorganic nanomaterial is dispersed withinan ethylene unsaturated monomer. The dispersion of the inorganicnanomaterial within the ethylene unsaturated monomer may certainly causethe inorganic nanomaterial to be uniformly dispersed into the ethyleneunsaturated monomer. The dispersion of the inorganic nanomaterial withinthe ethylene unsaturated monomer is for the purpose of causing theinorganic nanomaterial and the ethylene unsaturated monomer to realize amutual dissolution of organic and inorganic materials. By curing theinorganic nanomaterial along with the ethylene unsaturated monomer viaultraviolet light, an excellent bond of the inorganic material and theorganic material may be obtained.

In some embodiments, an inorganic film layer may be added with a photoinitiator and/or wetting leveling agent. The wetting leveling agent maybe introduced to adjust a surface tension of a liquid mixture, so as tomake flatness of the film layer better when it is formed.

In some embodiments, the inorganic nanomaterial comprises a combinationof one or more of AlO, ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO. That is, a material ofthe inorganic film layer 20 may be selected from one or several of AlO,ZnO, TiO, SiO2 and ZrO.

Step 103: providing a groove 30 in an inorganic film layer 20 of thenon-display region, e.g., as shown in FIG. 4(b).

In some embodiments, the groove is formed by etching the inorganic filmlayer of the non-display region.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a cross section of thegroove 30 in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the basesubstrate 10 has a shape of a rectangle or a trapezoid. If the groovehas a shape of the rectangle, a depth of the groove 30 is equal to athickness of the inorganic film layer 20. In some embodiments, thegroove 30 has a depth of 0.5 to 10 μm and a width of 2 to 30 μm. If thegroove has a shape of the trapezoid, a depth of the groove 30 is equalto a thickness of the inorganic film layer 20. In some embodiments, thegroove 30 has a depth of 0.5 to 10 μm, and the groove has a long side of5 to 10 μm and a short side of 3 to 10 μm. FIG. 4(b) takes a rectangulargroove as an example for explanations. The present disclosure is notlimited thereto. It should be noted that, if the base substratecomprises a substrate with a single layer, the depth of the grooveshould guarantee an etch through that inorganic film layer in contactwith the substrate. If the base substrate comprises a substrate with theplurality of layers, between which inorganic layers are provided to forman overlapped structure, then the depth of the groove should guaranteean etch through the inorganic film layer in contact with the top of theuppermost layer of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the groove comprises a plurality of grooves, andspaces exist between the plurality of grooves. A space distance betweenthe grooves is 3 to 20 μm. The space distances between the differentgrooves may be identical or different. The present disclosure is notlimited thereto. In some embodiments, the groove 30 is provided in aregion within 300 μm from an edge of the base substrate.

In some embodiments, the number of the grooves is, e.g., 2 to 10. Adifferent number of the grooves may be selected according to differentrequirements of design. It should be noted that, FIG. 4(b) takes twogrooves as an example for explanations. The present disclosure is notlimited thereto. A specific number is determined according toimplementation situations. In addition, each of the grooves as comprisedin the flexible display substrate has an identical depth and may have adifferent width.

In the present embodiment, if a cross section of the groove in adirection perpendicular to a surface of the base substrate 10 has ashape of the trapezoid, in one aspect of the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the trapezoidal groove is filled with the aid of mobility ofthe organic material of the filling structure before being cured, andthe cured organic material is embedded into the groove, which canenhance a bonding effect between the filling structure and the groove soas to prevent the filling structure from falling off during thehandling. In another aspect, it is possible to further obstruct aninward extension of the cracks of the inorganic film layer.

Step 104: filling the groove to form a filling structure, e.g., as shownin FIG. 4(c).

In the present embodiment, the filling structure has a material of anorganic material, which may be an acrylic material. In the presentembodiment, the material of the filling structure is different from thatof the inorganic film layer, and the organic material and the inorganicmaterial are different in terms of properties such as an elastic modulusor the like. The occurrence of a mutational deformation of one materialis not allowed at a contact interface of two materials. The formation ofthe cracks is further avoided.

In some embodiments, the filling structure comprises a filler 41 and abump 42. The filler 41 is provided within the groove, and the bump 42 isprovided above the groove. The filler 41 and the bump 42 are integrallyformed.

In some embodiments, a height h of the bump 42 is less than or equal to30 μm. A distance between an edge of the bump and an edge of the grooveclosest to the edge of the bump is 20 to 100 μm.

In the present embodiment, the bump covers all the groovessimultaneously, as well as a region outside the grooves. A shape of thebump may be an arbitrary shape. The present disclosure is not limitedthereto. FIG. 4(c) takes a trapezoid as an example for explanations.

In some embodiments, the organic material is filled into the groove byusing the printing, the screen printing or the coating process, so as toform the filling structure and cause the groove to be filled up with thefilling structure, or to be filled up with a Pixel Definition Layer(PDL) material during the manufacture of the PDL.

In addition, prior to step 102, the method further comprises: forming abuffer layer on the base substrate.

In some embodiments, the buffer layer may be deposited on the basesubstrate by using the Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) process, theevaporation process or the sputtering process.

In addition, after step 104, the method further comprises: attaching aprotective film to the inorganic film layer of the non-display region;and removing the protective film after the use of the protective film iscompleted.

The flexible display substrate, which is obtained by the method ofmanufacturing the flexible display substrate as provided in theembodiment of the present disclosure, can fill the groove with thefilling structure, which causes a surface of the region corresponding tothe groove to become flat so as to reduce a contact area between thesurface and the protective film, reduce a surface area of theattachment, reduce a bonding strength of the protective film, reduce oreven eliminate a risk of delamination which is caused when theprotective film is removed.

The method of manufacturing the flexible display substrate is providedin the embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the flexibledisplay substrate has a display region and a non-display region, themethod comprises: providing a base substrate; forming an inorganic filmlayer on the base substrate; providing a groove in the inorganic filmlayer of the non-display region; and forming a filling structure in thegroove. By providing the groove in the inorganic film layer of thenon-display region, one aspect of the present disclosure guarantees theflexible display substrate to have a function of preventing the cracksand reduces an effect of the cracks of the inorganic film layer on theOLED. By filling the groove with the filling structure, another aspectof the present disclosure causes a surface of the region correspondingto the groove to become flat so as to reduce a contact area between thesurface and the protective film, reduce a surface area of theattachment, reduce a bonding strength of the protective film, reduce oreven eliminate a risk of delamination which is caused when theprotective film is removed.

Based on the disclosed concept of the aforementioned embodiments, theembodiment of the present disclosure further provides a display panelcomprising the flexible display substrate.

The flexible display substrate in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure employs the flexible display substrate as provided in theaforementioned embodiments, and has a similar implementation principleand implementation effect, which are not further described here.

Based on the disclosed concept of the aforementioned embodiments, theembodiment of the present disclosure further provides a displayapparatus comprising the display panel and having a similarimplementation principle and implementation effect, which are notfurther described here.

The display panel in the embodiment of the present disclosure employsthe display panel as provided in the aforementioned embodiment, and hasa similar implementation principle and implementation effect, which arenot further described here.

In some embodiments, the display apparatus may be a Liquid CrystalDisplay (briefly referred to as LCD) panel, an electronic paper, anOrganic Light-Emitting Diode (briefly referred to as OLED) panel, amobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, a display, a notebookcomputer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, and any other product orcomponent having the display function, to which no limit is made by theembodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, the display apparatus as set forth in theembodiment of the present disclosure may be in a Twisted Nematic(briefly referred to TN) mode, a Vertical Alignment (briefly referred toas VA) mode, an In-plane Switching (briefly referred to as IPS) mode, oran Advance Super Dimension Switch (briefly referred to as ADS) mode, towhich no limit is made by the present disclosure.

Although the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are asdescribed above, they are merely used to facilitate the understanding ofthe present disclosure and are not intended to limit the presentdisclosure. Any modification and variation in the form and details ofthe implementation may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope definedby the appended claims shall prevail.

1. A flexible display substrate having a display region and anon-display region, the flexible display substrate comprising: a basesubstrate; an inorganic film layer provided on the base substrate,wherein the inorganic film layer of the non-display region is providedwith a groove; and a filling structure for filling the groove.
 2. Theflexible display substrate according to claim 1, wherein the groovecomprises a plurality of grooves, and a space exist between theplurality of grooves.
 3. The flexible display substrate according toclaim 2, wherein the space between the grooves is 3 to 30 μm.
 4. Theflexible display substrate according to claim 1, wherein a cross sectionof the groove is a rectangle or a trapezoid in a direction perpendicularto a surface of the base substrate.
 5. The flexible display substrateaccording to claim 4, wherein the cross section of the groove is therectangle, and the groove has a width of 3 to 20 μm.
 6. The flexibledisplay substrate according to claim 4, wherein the cross section of thegroove is the trapezoid, and the groove has a long side of 5 to 20 μmand a short side of 3 to 10 μm.
 7. The flexible display substrateaccording to claim 4, wherein the groove is provided in a region within300 μm from an edge of the base substrate.
 8. The flexible displaysubstrate according to claim 4, wherein the filling structure comprisesa filler and a bump, wherein the filler is provided within the groove,the bump is provided above the groove, and the filler and the bump areintegrally formed.
 9. The flexible display substrate according to claim8, wherein a distance between an edge of the bump and an edge of thegroove closest to the edge of the bump is 20 to 100 μm, and the bump hasa height less than or equal to 30 μm.
 10. The flexible display substrateaccording to claim 4, wherein a depth of the groove is equal to athickness of the inorganic film layer.
 11. The flexible displaysubstrate according to claim 10, wherein the groove has the depth of 0.5to 10 μm.
 12. The flexible display substrate according to claim 4,wherein the filling structure has a material of an organic material. 13.The flexible display substrate according to claim 4, wherein theinorganic film layer comprises a plurality of inorganic film layers. 14.A display panel comprising the flexible display substrate according toclaim
 1. 15. A display apparatus comprising the display panel accordingto claim
 14. 16. A method of manufacturing a flexible display substrate,the flexible display substrate having a display region and a non-displayregion, the method comprising: providing a base substrate; forming aninorganic film layer on the base substrate; providing a groove in theinorganic film layer of the non-display region; and filling the grooveto form a filling structure.
 17. The method according to claim 16,wherein after forming the filling structure, the method furthercomprises: attaching a protective film to the inorganic film layer ofthe non-display region; and removing the protective film after the useof the protective film is completed.
 18. The display panel according toclaim 14, wherein the groove comprises a plurality of grooves, and aspace exist between the plurality of grooves.
 19. The display panelaccording to claim 14, wherein a cross section of the groove is arectangle or a trapezoid in a direction perpendicular to a surface ofthe base substrate.
 20. The display panel according to claim 19, whereinthe filling structure comprises a filler and a bump, wherein the filleris provided within the groove, the bump is provided above the groove,and the filler and the bump are integrally formed.